


Changes

by awgaskarth0805



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Emotional Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:54:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26243740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awgaskarth0805/pseuds/awgaskarth0805
Summary: Zack notices a concerning shift in Alex's demeanor.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 4





	Changes

**Author's Note:**

> This is a request!

“Now that Alex is finally here, we can talk about the rehearsal we’re gong to have before tomorrow’s gig,” Rian stated as Alex took a seat at their lunch tale, his eyes immediately lighting up.  
“Let’s do it! I know we already have our setlist planned out, but I got an idea for a song late last night and decided that I had to go ahead and write it. Also, I changed some chords in a couple other songs, because I thought it would sound better! Of course if you guys don’t like my changes, we can always keep the songs the way they are now, but either way, I’m excited to show you guys the new song! I think it’s better lyrically than some of what I’ve written, but you all can be the judges of that!” Alex exclaimed, talking a mile a minute.   
His friends all stared at him, surprised that he’d said so much in such a short period of time. Zack took a closer look at Alex, and noticed the intense, dark bags under his eyes, and started to wonder how Alex seemed to have so much energy.  
“That all sounds, um, great, man. we’ll look at those songs later, I’m sure everything you worked on is great,” Jack gave his friend an encouraging smile. Alex gave a smile in return, but Zack couldn’t help but feel like it looked a bit forced.  
“So we’re all meeting at my place at four this afternoon, right?” Rian asked his friends.  
“That sounds good to me,” Zack confirmed.  
“I’m excited for the gig, but the party after is going to be killer!” Jack exclaimed, making Zack and Rian roll their eyes.  
“True, but let’s just worry about getting through the show, before we start thinking too much about the party,” Rian cautioned.  
“Fuck that, I’m with Jack on this one! It’s going to be mostly seniors, so it’s going to be awesome! I’ve been thinking about it all week!” Alex continued.  
“Have you spent any of your week studying for that math test we have to take tomorrow?” Jack laughed as Alex rolled his eyes.  
“No, but I personally think that the gig and party are a lot more important, anyway,” Zack noticed a weird look in Alex’s eyes, they didn’t have their normal happy glow, which was odd, since it seemed like Alex was currently on cloud nine.   
For the rest of lunch, the four of them continued to talk about the upcoming weekend. While he knew he could just be overthinking, Zack couldn’t help but think that something about Alex was off; the smile on his face didn’t match the tired, sad look in his eyes.   
Lunch eventually ended, and the four of them went their separate ways to get to class. Zack had seventh period with Alex, and decided he’d see what Alex’s demeanor was like then and let that decide if he needed to confront Alex about what he’d observed.   
When Zack walked into his seventh period, he saw Alex with a couple of their other friends, acting like the life of the party. Alex was a fairly social person, much more so than Zack, but this seemed like Alex was overcompensating for something, rather than just having a good time with his friends. While he didn’t want to make Alex uncomfortable, he also didn’t want to make it seem like he didn’t care.   
Once their class finally ended, the two of them walked out to the parking lot together, like they always did, and after listening to Alex speed talk about the science project he hadn’t yet started on, Zack decided it was time to talk to his friend.  
“Hey, Alex, can I ask you about something?” Zack felt some anxiety pool in his stomach, he wasn’t really great at calling people out on things, but he wanted the best for his friend.  
“Sure, but if it’s about that English paper, I’ve been too bus with other stuff to start it, so I won’t be much help,” Alex said, laughing some.  
“It’s not about that, it’s actually, um, about you. Have you been doing okay? Like, have you been feeling okay in your mind?” Zack knew his delivery had been a bit awkward, but he genuinely wasn’t sure how else to ask the question without sounding intrusive. There was a brief silence before Alex finally spoke.  
“Yeah, what makes you ask that?”  
“I don’t know, I guess you’ve just been a bit more over the top than usual. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I just wanted to ask and make sure,” Zack explained, as they approached their cars, which were conveniently parked right next to each other.  
“Yeah man, I’m fine. I’ve been a bit busy with school and the band, as far as writing goes, but I’m all good over here,” Alex said, unlocking his car.  
“Right, sorry if I made things awkward, I just wanted to be sure,”  
“Thanks, dude, but nothing’s wrong. Hey, practice starts in twenty, I have to do something before it starts, so I’m going to get going,” As Alex got into his car, Zack could see the reserved and almost self-conscious body language in his friend, and immediately knew that Alex had lied to him.  
“Sounds good, see you at Rian’s,” Zack said, before driving off. Initially, he’d planned on stopping at home before going to practice, but he had and idea, and knew that he had no time to go home first and started to drive to Rian’s neighborhood.   
Once he got there, he quickly grabbed his bass from the trunk, and went through the unlocked door, and down to the basement, where Rian and Jack both were, eating a snack and talking some.  
“I’m surprised to see you already; don’t you normally stop at home before coming here?” Rian asked, as Zack took a seat in a chair opposite the couch.  
“Yeah, I usually do that, but I have to talk to you guys about something before Alex gets here,” Zack urgently stated.  
“If it’s so important, shouldn’t Alex be here, too?” Jack continued.  
“Well, it’s actually about Alex. Have you guys noticed that he’s been acting a bit off lately?” Rian and Jack looked at each other in confusion as they thought about what Zack had just asked them.  
“I don’t know, do you think he’s been acting different?” Jack asked back.  
“He almost seems happier than usual. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it almost seems like he’s acting like that to overcompensate for something, like he’s kind of aggressively happy and over the top,” Zack explained.  
“Isn’t him being happy a good thing?” Rian continued.  
“Well, yes, but he seems to be more manic than genuinely happy. Like, staying up late and intensely working on stuff, talking super fast, and being so hype about literally everything, all of that just seems very manic. The thing that concerns me, though, is that even though he seems happy and excited about life, his eyes just look so sad. They contradict his demeanor, and that’s why it really concerns me,” Rian and Jack took all of this in, and concerned looks slowly appeared on their faces.  
“Shit, that all makes perfect sense. I think you may be right, man. have you tried to talk to him?” Jack continued, as he finished his snack.  
“Well, I tried to when we were walking to the parking lot earlier. He brushed it off and said he was fine, but he seemed to be lying. He got all awkward and reserved, and almost acted self-conscious, which is why I’ve told you guys. I’ve been where he is, and I want to help him, but I think the three of us talking to him about this will be more effective than just me doing it. He’ll know that we all care, and want what’s best for him,” Zack explained, sounding very serious.  
“I think you may be right; we should talk to him. This should be done sooner than later, but it shouldn’t just randomly be brought up. Maybe if we notice him acting off during practice, we can bring it up then,” Rian suggested.  
“I think that’s a good idea, let’s plan on that,” Zack agreed, as his friends nodded. As if on cue, Alex walked down the stairs, holding his guitar, some loose papers, and his algebra textbook, which he was reading as he walked.  
“Why are you reading your textbook right now? You hate that class, and it’s time for practice,” Jack asked, laughing some.  
“I’m finally starting to study for that stupid exam I don’t want to take, and I wanted to study until the very last second before practice. Anyway, I have all of the stuff I mentioned at lunch earlier!” Alex rushed over to his friends and sat in the middle of the couch so that everyone could see.  
“Okay, so this is the brand-new song I wrote last night. Looking back at it now, I kind of don’t love it, like, it just seemed so much better when I was frantically writing it at three in the morning. We can clean it up after the gig, it’s not top priority. Also, I have the revisions I was working on, I think those are slightly better, but you guys can decide if that’s true or not,”  
“This new song is actually really good, man. I think we should put it together after the gig, like you said, but I really like it,” Rian said, as he read over Alex’s work.  
“I like these changes you made to the other songs. Let’s work on those after the gig, too,” Zack added, smiling at his friend.   
“Sounds good, should we start practice now?” Alex asked, seeming to want to change the subject.  
“Let’s do it! The set list for the weekend is on the wall so we can all see it,” Rian explained, as the four of them took their places, and got their instruments ready. Jack counted them off, then they started to play their first song.   
Right before the second chorus, Alex messed up enough to throw the whole band off, so they all stopped playing as Alex’s face turned a bit red.  
“Sorry guys, I guess I messed up because I was thinking of the other way I wrote this song. Should we just go from the top?” As Alex spoke, Zack could hear the disappointment in his voice, and hoped that the others could tell, as well.  
“Sure, let’s go form the beginning,” Rian decided, right before they all started to play again. Alex got through the first few songs of their set just fine, but messed up particularly badly on their fourth song, causing them to stop playing again.  
“Fuck, sorry guys. I don’t know why I keep messing up. Maybe we could take a short water break?” Alex requested. Everyone agreed, so they went back over to the couch, and sat down as they all rehydrated, and checked their phones.   
Zack looked at Alex when he wasn’t looking and saw the same self-conscious body language from the parking lot earlier and knew that this wasn’t good.  
“Okay, let’s do this!” Alex exclaimed, trying to sound excited. His plan could’ve worked if his voice hadn’t cracked, making the three of them take a good look at him.   
Rian and Jack finally saw that pained look in Alex’s eyes that Zack had mentioned and the three of them shared a look, knowing it was time to talk with their friend.  
“Hey, let’s not go back to practicing for just a minute,” Rian started.  
“Um, why not? We have a kick ass set to play through!” Alex exclaimed, as a forced smile appeared on his face.  
“Alex, are you okay?” Jack bluntly continued, making Alex blush harder than when he’d messed up earlier.  
“Yeah, I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be?” Alex sounded very defensive, but his friends knew that this conversation had to happen, which gave them the strength to continue pursuing it.  
“Well, I’ve noticed that you’ve not really been acting like yourself. You seem extra happy and hype, but it doesn’t seem genuine, it almost seems like you’re overcompensating for something. Also, staying up all night and doing intense work, and talking fast and being so scatterbrained are all parts of being manic. Alex, are you okay? Please tell us the truth, we just want what’s best for you,” The genuine concern and care in Zack’s voice got through to Alex, and he knew that he couldn’t keep lying to his friends, or himself, anymore.  
“Honestly, no, no I’m not,” Alex admitted, as tears started to form in his eyes.  
“What’s wrong, man?” Jack continued.  
“I don’t know, I just feel overwhelmed with life. Like, I’ve wanted to write us a new song for a month now, but between constant practices, semi frequent gigs, and more homework than what should be allowed, it hasn’t happened, and I’ve been pissed at myself for it. I’ve been staying up super late to work on music and schoolwork, and it’s so fucking hard to do that at the same time. I feel overwhelmed, but I also feel like I’m not doing enough, and it’s just a lot,” Alex explained, putting his head into his hands, and crying as he continued to break down.   
The other three all exchanged sympathetic looks as Alex cried, stunned by their friend’s confession. Once Alex calmed down a bit, Rian decided to speak.  
“We had no idea you felt that way man, we’re so sorry,”  
“It’s not your all’s fault,”  
“Look, we’re going to figure out a better way to balance music and school, so we can all do well in both. I don’t think it’s been easy for any of us, but we didn’t know it was affecting you so much,” Jack continued.  
“I’d really like that, thank you, guys. I’m sorry that I wasn’t honest, I just didn’t want to seem weak or pathetic, which is why I tried to act so happy and everything. I’m glad you all saw through it because I don’t know if I would’ve been able to admit this, but I really needed this conversation. Thank you,” Alex tried to wipe his tears as a small smile started to form on his face.  
“Thank Zack, he’s the one who brought this up to us. He noticed it all way before we did,” Rian admitted, as everyone looked at Zack.  
“Thank you, Zack. I’m sorry I tried to blow you off in the parking lot earlier, this shit is hard to talk about and deal with, and I know you were just trying to help, so thanks for caring so much,”   
“No problem, man. I’ve felt the same way, and it’s hard to live like that. We all just want what’s best for you, and to go through this silently definitely isn’t it. We can all come up with a way to balance the band and school, so we can all do better. We’ve got you in this, man,” Zack promised, making all four of them smile.  
“You guys are the best, thank you,” Alex stated, much calmer now.  
“Do you guys want to get back to practicing? We can go as slow or as fast as you want, Alex,” Jack suggested.  
“Let’s do it!” The four of them went back over to their practice area and picked up where they left off.   
Alex played significantly better this time around, since his mind felt less heavy, which he had the best friends in the world to thank for.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is a request for a friend on Tumblr! I haven't had a request in a while, so it was nice finally getting to write one again! That being said, I have one more that I'm working on, then I'll be all out again! If you all have ideas you want written, please send them in, I'd love to write them for you! I have a few more ideas thought up, and some of them are about my personal life, and those will hopefully be coming soon! Thank you all for reading and sticking around, it means a lot. Lots of love, Liv.


End file.
